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Ephemeris: 11/19/2024 – The loneliest star in the sky

November 19, 2024

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, November 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 5:10, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:47. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 8:32 this evening.

There’s a bright star that appears for only seven and a half hours on autumn evenings. Its appearance, low in the south-southeast at 8 p.m., is a clear sign that autumn is here. It is currently far below the much brighter Saturn. The star’s name is Fomalhaut, which means fish’s mouth. That’s fitting because it’s in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish. At our latitude it’s kind of the fish that got away, because usually Fomalhaut appears to be quite alone low in the sky. For the last few years Jupiter and then Saturn have kept it company. In a couple of years Saturn will have moved on leaving Fomalhaut to its lonely vigil in the south.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

A Fomalhaut finder chart in four frames
A Fomalhaut finder chart in four frames, showing just the stars and the planet Saturn; Saturn and Fomalhaut labeled; the constellation outlined and labeled; and lastly, the fish as imagined by the Stellarium artist.. For 8 PM this evening, November 19 2024. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

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